Escape

The golden boy of bossa nova, Marcos Valle -- still best-known for his 60s hits Summer Samba and The Crickets Sing For Anamaria -- has continued working creatively over the past 35 years, but it took collector/promoter Joe Davis at Far-Out to bring him back into the spotlight with 97's classy though conservative Nova Bossa Nova. Escape is a livelier affair. Co-producers Roc Hunter and Davis have sought to discreetly update Valle's classic mid-70s jazzy bossa signature, built around the warm sound of acoustic guitar, Fender Rhodes and hand percussion. Sweet.